Don’t let your limitations hold you back from achieving all that God has for you. You are meant to conquer your limits and then create success. The dictionary describes the word overcome as “to conquer”. But don’t stop there. Get a real shot of motivation from the Bible, which says, “We are MORE than conquerors through Him who loved us”. If you desire to be the best you can be and to achieve all that God has for you then you must learn to be bold and conquer your limitations. Overcome the obstacles in life, press forward to reach new heights and encourage others to do the same.
It seems so simply stated when you read it in the Bible, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. Yet that kind of spiritual strength often seems unattainable. Like others you may be asking, “How can I become stronger, bolder and more confident in life with Christ”? Use physical fitness as a bodily mechanism to nurture your spiritual growth. The more you exercise the more you’ll realize that even though gaining physical strength has great benefits, gaining spiritual strength forever transforms your life. Nothing can replace reading the Bible and talking with God daily. You’ll find you are in better shape to do that when you have a daily, disciplined fitness program to keep your body functioning at its best.
A person who chooses to not only follow the teachings of Christ but also actively serves Him can be one of the healthiest, happiest individuals on the planet. Living a positive example will reflect on others who want that same kind of vitality, enthusiasm, passion and discipline. Invite them to discover with you the joy of following a daily fitness regimen and doing cool spiritual works outlined in the Bible. It is unlikely those around you will want to follow you if you are defeated, overweight, out of shape and lazy. But, live your life with purpose and passion and others will take notice. When they do, live responsibly — people want to experience the real Jesus.
Kyle Maynard is one of those individuals who is doing just that. In his book, No Excuses, Kyle explains how his fitness training has helped him to defeat many of his wrestling opponents. This might not seem like a big deal, but if you saw some photographs of Kyle, you would see that he is limited by the use of his arms and legs. As a result of complications at birth, Kyle was born with only partially developed arms and legs. To pin his opponents he would have to first catch them, then squeeze them with his arms and somehow maneuver with special techniques his dad and coach helped him to devise. His dad invented some exercise straps that allow Kyle a way to hoist up more weight than most people could lift with ordinary arms and legs.
In a typical wrestling practice, sprints are common daily training. Instead of sitting on the sidelines wishing and hoping to be a part of the team, Kyle’s “no excuse” attitude allows him to run on all fours with the rest of the team. Kyle didn’t let his physical limitations stop him from being all that he could be. Instead, with his strong faith in God and a “no excuses” mind set, he lives his life on purpose and with passion. What’s your excuse? Are you striving to be the best God intends for you to be? Are you reaching for new heights each day with your fitness goals, or are you satisfied with the status quo like so many unsatisfied
Christians today?
I lost my hearing at age three from having a high fever. As a result, I have learned to read lips. With the help of hearing aids communication is much easier. But it wasn’t always that way.
At first, my self-esteem was very low and I wanted to hide in the house and stay there. One day during my youth, my mother and I were walking in a mall. I saw in the window of a bookstore a copy of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s book, “Education of a Bodybuilder”. I persuaded my mom to buy the book. The moment we got home I read it from cover to cover. I was so anxious to start training, improve my outlook on life and become a better individual. My brother happened to have some weights in the basement. The first time I picked up a weight I was hooked.
Through fitness, I learned the importance of setting goals and visualizing where I wanted to go and what I wanted to achieve. Fitness helped me overcome many of my fears by giving me more confidence. I soon felt stronger and more energetic. My body shape started to look better and I performed better in my chosen sports. People noticed the changes in my life and began to ask me how I had done it. I was happy to share some of the principles of the fitness lifestyle. This gave me even more motivation to stay on track with my own personal fitness routine.
The Bible says without vision people perish. With a strong vision of what you believe God has placed in your heart and what He wants you to achieve there is hope. With hope comes desire and persistence. Once you’ve set some fitness goals for yourself and have written them down, keep them alive by visualizing yourself daily getting fitter and more enthusiastic about life. Ask God to help you to maintain the daily discipline and habits that are required to live the fitness lifestyle.
Once you’ve established a foundation of fitness, which includes good nutrition choices, strength training, flexibility and cardiovascular work, start encouraging your friends and family to become fit as well. You will discover the best motivation in your own personal fitness plan is to encourage and support others, helping them to stay focused and disciplined daily. As iron sharpens iron so one person sharpens another.
When you don’t let your limitations hold you back you will achieve all that God has for you. Each of us must do our part to be good stewards of our bodies by getting on a regular fitness program. Start by writing down your goals. Post them so you can see them each day. Decide how you will reach these goals.
I always encourage people to start their fitness program by doing the 12-week “Body for Life” Program Bill Phillips started in 1995. The program has stood the test of time and thousands of people continue to jumpstart their fitness with this basic but effective program. Once you’ve written down your goals and have a plan of attack, visualize yourself daily achieving your goals and dreams. Keep the vision strong. Instead of making excuses and letting personal or physical limitations hold you back from being and doing your best, stay in Christ, be persistent, conquer those limitations and never give up!
Brad Minns is a motivational speaker, tennis coach, personal trainer and fitness model from Florida. To learn more about him and connect with him go to www.bradminns.com 
